Issues & Action

School Funding

As a result of Proposition 13, more than 80 percent of school funding comes from the state. It is incumbent on the state to uphold the California Constitution, which says that public education has first call on state moneys. The state's budget crisis from the not-too-distant past made us all too aware of the pitfalls of our faulty tax structure, which is currently benefitting the wealthiest corporations over Californians themselves. It's time to restore fairness to our tax system.

CTA led the fight for Proposition 98, which was approved by California voters and guarantees minimum funding to California public schools. CTA believes all public schools in the state should have adequate resources to assure all students a quality education that helps them reach the state’s academic standards and meets their individual needs.

CTA believes that students need and deserve smaller class sizes, up-to-date textbooks, computers, and a safe learning environment. Despite the passage of Proposition 30 and the governor's proposed state budget for 2015-16, California continues to lag behind the national average in per-pupil funding, has some of the largest class sizes in the country and ranks dead last in the number of counselors and librarians in our schools.

CTA also believes that the state must provide assistance, rather than sanctions to those schools that have been labeled low- or under-performing based on state or federal assessments. These schools have the most crowded campuses and classrooms, have more students from low-income families, a higher number of uncredentialed teachers, and a larger number of students still learning to speak English.

State funding is also needed to support the community colleges and California State Universities, which have the responsibility of training California’s 21st century workforce.

Sharing the Burden of Economic Recovery

With the state facing ongoing yearly deficits of $20 billion, the survival of basic services and a healthy public sector is at stake. To address this looming future, the burden of recovery must be shared fairly — in contrast to the current path by which public services, the poor and education have taken the largest cuts and the middle-class has borne the increased tax burden.